


Constant Star

by LilyRosePotter



Series: Comments Challenge Reward Ficlets [3]
Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Boyband Save America, M/M, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 09:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17281772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyRosePotter/pseuds/LilyRosePotter
Summary: Five times Dan wanted to kiss Lovett at midnight (and one time he did)





	Constant Star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [speakingwosound (sev313)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sev313/gifts).



> _[okay its six + one sue me]_
> 
> Sev asked for boyband verse danlo pining. This is... kind of that, with some aggressive scene stealing by the other two fucks they're in love with.

** 2011 **

“Ten! Nine!”

Dan looks up from his carefully held priceless crystal flute of extravagantly expensive champagne and right into Lovett’s eyes.

“Eight! Seven!”

Lovett winks at him, face flushed with the alcohol that he’d admitted, months ago, in a late night rehearsal that he had never drank before the show. Dan smiles back, glad to have a friendly face in the sea of suits and evening gowns. He knows they need to go to things like this: the label’s party before they’re officially signed for their first album. It doesn’t stop him from feeling like a child in his father’s clothes all night.

“Six! Five!”

Lovett steps a bit closer, dodges a waiter with a tray, reaches for Dan’s elbow to catch his balance.

“Isn’t it weird how we assign so much significance to a random rotation of the Earth?” Lovett laughs in Dan’s ear.

“One! Happy New Year!” The party erupts in cheers.

Dan can’t look away from Lovett’s face. Lovett’s eyes sparkle with quiet mirth. Lovett’s cheeks glow with alcohol and success and the rosy tint they always have. Lovett’s teeth shine like the futures the music execs keep promising them. Lovett’s lips-

Lovett’s lips look soft and pink and oh so kissable. Dan shocks himself with the firey pull in his gut, _kiss him._

Lovett is smiling at him and Dan is gripping his glass so hard he’s distantly afraid it will break. Lovett’s hand is on his arm and Dan stopped growing at the age of thirteen but he’s never felt so tall. Lovett’s mouth is parting and all Dan needs to do is lean down.

All he needs to do is move his hand up, cup Lovett’s beautiful rosy cheeks, feel the chapped edges of Lovett’s lips with his own, taste the expensive alcohol on Lovett’s tongue.

All Dan needs to do is-

“Happy New Year!” Jon flings an arm around Dan’s shoulders, shaking Dan’s hand treacherously, spilling Jon’s own drink as he raises it way too high. Tommy laughs over Lovett’s shoulder.

“To the year PSA takes over the charts!” Jon yells.

All Dan needs to do is not fuck up the best thing he’s ever had going.

Dan smiles at Lovett and wraps a steadying arm around Jon’s drunk waist and mentally pouts a bucket of cold water over himself.

Kiss Lovett. It’s laughable.

Lovett is his bandmate. He didn’t even _like_ Lovett a few months ago. They’ve built a tentative friendship and they won the competition and the four of them have a _future_.

Even if Lovett is funny and talented and sings better without even practicing than Dan could ever hope to. Even if Lovett is beautiful, and only shines brighter when he’s in the middle of a ridiculous bit. Even if Lovett makes Dan look forward to even the earliest morning call.

It’s a new year. No need to start it with a life shaking mistake.

 

 

** 2012 **

“There are all kinds of girls here,” Jon grins, elbowing Dan.

“I like my corner,” Dan laughs, nodding over the landing. “I can see everything and everyone.”

“It’s a party,” Jon rolls his eyes. “I’m hosting, we’re celebrating the best year of our lives, you don’t need to supervise.”

Dan chuckles and takes the drink Jon shoves in his hand, but doesn’t move from his spot. Jon’s apartment looks exactly like what it is: the extremely occasional crash pad of a barely eighteen year old man who suddenly has way more money than he knows what to do with. And this party is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a couple young pop stars.

There are people he doesn’t know scattered all around the room, in various states of undress and hooking up. The chocolate fountain is still going strong, but the champagne fountain is either running out or needs to be fixed.

Emily is on her phone by the door, probably scheming how soon she can escape, triple checking on the sitter, even though she swore up and down she was glad for a night out. Dan’s gaze flits over radio hosts and spotlight guys; Tanya with her hair down in some guy’s lap; Lovett and Tommy holding court by the food.

Lovett and Tommy.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Dan promises Jon, not intending to keep the promise, not expecting Jon to remember that he made it.

Jon rolls his eyes but slides down the bannister in a move that should land him flat on his face, but doesn’t of course, because… Jon.

Dan watches as he weaves through the crowd, parting like the Red Sea for him. Watches him squeeze Lovett’s shoulder. Watches Lovett grin brilliantly at him and then turn to whisper something in Tommy’s ear. Watches Lovett’s hand slide to Tommy’s ass.

Stupid.

Dan had been so worried, at first. When he realized that he not only didn’t hate the youngest, funniest, most spontaneous member of their group, but instead liked him too much. He’d thought, self-centeredly, foolishly, that the problem was that if he made a pass at Lovett, the resulting fireworks could blow up the whole band.

He hadn’t factored in Tommy, with his high pitched giggle and steady voice and loyal heart. And he hadn’t factored in Jon, shining and golden and as unattainable as he is big hearted.

He hadn’t considered, until it was much too late to protect his foolish heart, that Lovett might not want him at all.

 

 

** 2013 **

The ball drops in Times Square and Jon kisses the top selling artist of the year on live TV.

Dan turns away from their frankly indecent liplock to commiserate with the others. Tommy is fondly rolling his eyes, smirks at Dan when he sees him looking with a _what are you going to do_ shrug. Dan rolls his own eyes and looks further to the corner of the stage.

Lovett’s face is open and raw and Dan wants to flinch back from what he sees there.

He’s not an idiot. He knows Lovett’s in love with Jon. Everyone _but_ Jon knows Lovett is in love with Jon and everyone _but_ Lovett knows that the feeling is damn well mutual.

But Lovett’s face.

Wanting and aching and _desperate_ even though he knows as well as Tommy and Dan do that it’s all for show and for the headlines. Though he knows, maybe, that Jon will be in Tommy’s bed again by next weekend. Might end up in Dan’s again, sometime not long after that.

Dan’s been wondering, if Jon and Lovett have ever, on a drunk, late night. The lost look on Lovett’s face, which Dan _aches_ to kiss off, pretty much answers his question.

Tommy steps in before Dan can formulate a joke. “Dan,” he says in a stage whisper. “ _I_ need a good luck kiss for 2013, come on, _please_.”

Lovett laughs, too bright. “Don’t leave the man hanging Pfeiffer.”

Dan sighs and rolls his eyes for any cameras watching before performatively kissing Tommy on the cheek. “Happy New Year Vietor.”

 

 

** 2015 **

Dan doesn’t see Lovett or Jon until well after 2 a.m.

They’re still in their fucking honeymoon phase, snuck off to god knows where after the band performed. And left Dan to clean up Tommy’s goddamn mess.

After he’s texted Tanya the names of the photographers to blackmail, handed the _definitely_ underage girl in Tommy’s lap $40 to buy drinks, and dragged Tommy into the opulent bathroom to sob, puke, and pass out with his head in Dan’s lap on the tile floor, Dan is pretty much ready to call 2015 a bust.

He’s hauling Tommy, half-conscious, out to the car when Jon and Lovett finally make their triumphant reappearance.

“Did you get a kiss for luck at midnight?” Lovett giggles as he slides into the car, heedless of the fact that he’s lost his shirt somewhere along the way and acquired a gold net tank top.

“No,” Dan growls. “I got a drunk asshole who still can’t hold his liquor.”

Jon peers into Tommy’s face performatively. “Drugs, I think,” he says, assessing. “He’s definitely crossfaded.”

Dan rolls his eyes to the heavens and prays for a quick release from this bullshit life he’s living. “I hate every single one of you.”

 

 

** 2016 **

Sarah’s beaming as wide as the ring sparkling on her hand when she pulls Dan in for a kiss at midnight. “This year is going to be lucky,” she promises against his lips.

He lets himself melt into her and thinks _it can hardly be worse than the last_. He’s spent the night refusing to let himself look at the empty space where Lovett should be.

Under Jon’s arm while Jon drinks too much and flirts with pretty models like he’s seventeen and starstruck again.

Throwing popcorn into Tommy’s mouth where he’s reclined on the couch with Katie talking animatedly and Kenzie climbing in and out of his lap until the sugar rush wears off and she passes out against his chest.

Letting Em smooth his curls and Hanna change his tie four times during the party before they take advantage of their sleeping child and sneak off to make out.

 _Everywhere_.

“Happy wedding year,” Dan whispers and tugs Sarah’s hand to lead her to their room. “I love you.”

 

 

** 2024 **

Dan spends New Year’s Eve alone and pathetic on the couch.

He didn’t have to. Tommy and Hanna and Em invited him to California over and over and he lied and said he was going to take Wally out. Jon even sent him a text - _if you’re looking for NYE plans I’ll be in New York and bored out of my skin_ \- which felt good, it feels good to have Jon back, but he still said no.

Wally is at a sleepover. He doesn’t know what Sarah is doing. He doesn’t get to know what Sarah is doing, that’s what divorce means.

The bottom of the whiskey bottle doesn’t tell him what she’s doing. It doesn’t tell him why he’s such a goddamn fuck up either, never where he wants to be as one year rolls into the next, even when he was with his best people.

Sarah’s gone. Lovett’s gone. Jon’s maybe not gone for now but who fucking knows.

Wally is growing and growing and he’ll be gone.

Dan has _got_ to get better at being alone.

His phone rings obnoxiously from the coffee table.

It takes a couple tries before he can find the right button to answer. “What?” he growls.

“Happy New Year!” an indistinguishable mass of voices yells in his ear.

Dan lifts the phone away from his ear with a grimace as Tommy’s voice cuts through, “Okay good job, go find the party hats for the dogs now… hey, sorry, Kenz and Riley wanted to say hi.”

“Loud,” Dan grumbles, “they’re so loud.”

“Yeah, well, kids,” Tommy says evenly. “You’re not about to die of alcohol poisoning right? I really would have flown out, you fucker.”

Dan glares at the bottle. “I’m not dying, and how did you know I was alone?”

Tommy laughs, hollow. “I know you too well, man. You can’t lie to me.”

“Fuck.” Dan leans his head back against the couch.

“Look, just- I’ll see you in two weeks right? You’re still coming out here for the weekend?” Tommy presses.

“I don’t have plans to not come,” Dan rolls his eyes. It hurts. “I am looking forward to Kenzie’s concert.”

“Good.” He can hear Tommy’s smile through the phone. “Look drink some water and go to bed, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Dan agrees, but he can feel a smile tugging at his lips.

“Happy New Year Dan.”

 

 

** 2028 **

“Mama! Mama! It’s almost time!”

“We know,” Emily laughs as Riley comes skidding into the living room, Wally close on his heels. “Some of us have been sitting here and paying attention instead of running all over the house.”

Riley frowns at her. “Uncle Tommy has the new-”

“Oh my god,” Hanna interrupts. “If I have to hear about this game _one more time_.”

“It’s good!” Lovett insists, leaning over Jon to glare at her. “It’s totally worth-”

“All the time my child has been rotting his brain in front of the screen with you two?” Hanna raises her eyebrows.

“Thirty seconds you guys,” Kenz says without taking her eyes off the ball.

“Remember the year we tried to take her to Times Square with us and we almost lost her in the staging area ‘cause she was staring at that damn thing,” Em laughs.

Kenz frowns. “Sounds like bad parenting.”

“Sounds like we were busy trying to keep track of Jon while he was trying to get caught with his pants down on every possible camera,” Dan puts in, reaching around Lovett to squeeze Jon’s shoulder while he huffs, annoyed.

Emily and Hanna sigh exaggeratedly, leaning into each other.

“Why was Uncle Jon pantsless?” Wally asks, climbing into Dan’s lap.

“Mackenzie is that _actual_ champagne?” Hanna squawks.

“Ten seconds!” Kenz yelps.

“Eight! Seven!”

There’s a tug on Dan’s sleeve.

Lovett is looking at him, face soft and open and _theirs_. Behind him, Jon is still sputtering about his dignity while Tommy literally and figuratively smooths his ruffled feathers.

“Six! Five!”

“You know,” Lovett murmurs. “It may be a random rotation of the Earth, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

“Two!”

Dan’s already kissing Lovett when the ball drops and the kids scream.

Tommy’s fingers link with Dan’s on the back of the couch and when he comes up for air, Jon is already leaning in for a kiss of his own.

“Happy New Year,” Jon whispers as his lips meet Dan’s. Dan squeezes Tommy’s hand and feels Lovett’s head come to rest on his shoulder.

“Let’s make it the best year yet,” Dan grins.

 


End file.
